Jordan Burroughs wants Islam Makhachev. And after dominating a former world champion wrestler, Magomed Kurbanaliev, at RAF Moscow tonight, the Olympic gold medalist wasn’t going to pass up another opportunity to challenge the UFC welterweight kingpin.

The 38-year-old fired the challenge once again, and this time, Makhachev fired right back.

“Islam! Where are you?” Burroughs shouted in the post-fight interview after his victory at RAF Moscow. “Hey, I came to your country, to your capital city, and tech fall one of your world champions. I’ll be back to Russia very soon, and the only person I want to share the stage with is Islam. I’ll be back.”

And well, Islam Makhachev didn’t exactly leave Burroughs hanging. While the Dagestani phenom didn’t rule out a crossover clash, he did slap one very clear condition on it.

The UFC welterweight champion didn’t shy away from congratulating the wrestling legend publicly, but then came the catch. If these two are going to settle this, the Dagestani wants it to happen inside the Octagon.

“Congrats on your win legend. In the cage, anywhere, anytime 😉,” Islam Makhachev responded on X.

And that little distinction is kind of the whole story. Jordan Burroughs has been pushing for a one-on-one with Islam Makhachev under Real American Freestyle, going at it under freestyle wrestling rules. The Dagestani, though, seems to have a very different idea in mind. He wants only MMA.

Burroughs also gave himself plenty of ammunition for another callout. At RAF Moscow, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist absolutely steamrolled Magomed Kurbanaliev, shutting out the former world champion 10-0 via technical fall. Not exactly a bad way to remind the welterweight kingpin that he’s still very much interested.

The win pushed the 38-year-old to 2-0 in RAF after he previously defeated Sean Brady by technical fall in August. But the Olympic gold medalist wasn’t about to just call it a night. He had Islam Makhachev on his mind, and this callout didn’t come out of nowhere.

The Olympian believes the 34-year-old is underestimating him, especially after the Dagestani questioned just how effective the wrestling legend’s famous double-leg would be against him.

Back in August 2024, the Dagestani phenom suggested that Jordan Burroughs relied heavily on the takedown and even claimed he would be able to defend it. And it seems like Jordan Burroughs clearly remembers that one.

Now, Burroughs didn’t just win at RAF Moscow. He totally dominated Magomed Kurbanaliev, a former world champion, defeating him 10-0 via technical fall. Doing so against one of Russia’s most decorated wrestlers has only heightened the impact of Makhachev’s latest callout.

This wasn’t a retired wrestler screaming into the void. The 38-year-old is 2-0 in RAF and clearly feels he still has something to prove. As for Islam Makhachev, his response doesn’t exactly sound like a man trying to dodge the challenge.

If anything, the Dagestani phenom seems perfectly happy to entertain the idea, just not on Jordan Burroughs’ turf. But whether he would be able to do it anytime soon seems to be the bigger question, as his calendar already carries major fight stakes, and Ian Garry wants his name on it.

Ian Garry believes he’d beat Islam Makhachev if they fought ‘right now’

While Jordan Burroughs is busy trying to drag Islam Makhachev into another crossover showdown, the welterweight kingpin already has one man from his own division banging on the door.

Ian Garry wants his rematch. ‘The Future’ came up short against Makhachev at UFC 330, losing a unanimous decision and failing to grab the welterweight throne.

But judging by what Garry has been saying since, the loss hasn’t done much to dent his confidence. If anything, he sounds more convinced than ever that he can beat the Dagestani phenom.

“Proud. Happy. Proud of me, my team, my preparation, everything we did,” Garry told DAZN Boxing. “Obviously annoyed about the result. That’s the fight game.

“We get back on the horse, we go again, because I’ve got ten years in this sport to be at the highest level, fight the baddest men in the world, beat them, and prove that I am one of the baddest men walking the planet.”

The Irishman also knows exactly what he thinks went wrong. This time, he wants more activity, more kicks, and definitely a lot more aggression.

“Yeah, I definitely think the biggest thing I could have done was a bit more volume, a bit more me, more kicks, more venom in the shots to the head,” he explained. “But at the end of the day, when you’re stood in front of a man who has been able to beat everyone he’s stood in front of, it’s difficult to maneuver that.”

And then came the real statement. Ian Garry doesn’t just want another fight with Islam Makhachev. Instead, he believes the rematch could go his way right now. He also revealed that he is ready to get back into the Octagon ASAP.

“But I feel like if I fight him right now, I’d beat him,” Garry said. “I just, I have so much confidence in myself, so much confidence in my team and the preparation that we do. I just want to get back in there tomorrow and do it all over again.

“As soon as humanly possible. Anyone, anywhere, anytime. Go back in there, prove that I am one of the baddest men on the planet, and don’t stop.”

Of course, the UFC 330 performance wasn’t exactly free of controversy.

Dana White criticized the amount of hugging and mutual respect between the two during the fight, while Islam Makhachev himself admitted afterward that he didn’t quite understand what ‘The Future’ was trying to do.

“Bro, I honestly don’t understand, man. This is a fight; this is not something where we have to hug each other every round,” Makhachev said at the post-fight press conference.

So now the welterweight king has two very different men trying to get his attention. The Irishman wants to run it back inside the UFC cage and prove the first result was a fluke. Jordan Burroughs, meanwhile, wants to bring Islam Makhachev into his world and settle the score under wrestling rules.

But the Dagestani phenom has already drawn his line in the sand. If the Olympian really wants the showdown, he will have to forget about the wrestling mat and step into the cage. And that changes the entire game.